


speak first, think second

by nikospyrr



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: M/M, Side!Cheolsoo, Soulmates, aka nonushushu, platonic!wonshua
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-04
Updated: 2017-06-04
Packaged: 2018-11-08 21:04:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11089905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nikospyrr/pseuds/nikospyrr
Summary: "After you left me, I went to the anime store to buy some hentai, but then I met my soulmate instead."





	speak first, think second

**Author's Note:**

  * For [seungsols](https://archiveofourown.org/users/seungsols/gifts).



> hi ally, i'm kat!! we don't know each other, but i'm glad we were able to meet like this, hahaha 
> 
> I'M SORRY THAT THIS IS TOOK LONGER THAN I THOUGHT ;0; this au was a challenge, but in the end i hope you enjoy this as much as i enjoyed writing for it!!!

The sun had never felt so nice on his skin. Not to say that Wonwoo had a wealth of experience to claim with certainty that the sun’s rays had never before felt so blessedly warm and comforting, but it was just an expression. The freedom obtained by finishing his finals—and such a terrible one it was—made him want to sing and give thanks to life itself. Why must European history be so complicated? He couldn’t say the same praises for the grass, but the grass was there when Wonwoo tossed his backpack and laid down without thinking, so there wasn’t much to be done. At the very least, he had his leather jacket on, and that helped.

“I’m surprised to see you in the daylight, Wonwoo. Are you sure you aren’t melting as we speak?” Wonwoo opened his eyes, and looked directly up at Joshua Hong’s smug face. He was beautiful with the sun casting a halo around his head, but the smirk that ever so slightly tugged at his lips wasn’t befitting of an angel.

“You're calling me a vampire? Wow, I didn't realize we were still in the seventh grade.” Wonwoo extended a hand towards Joshua, who rolled his eyes as he helped him off the ground. He picked up his backpack, which was tossed way farther than he thought and really, if Joshua didn't interrupt him, his backpack could've easily been stolen. They set off towards the parking garage.

“Did you want to head to the Sutro Baths right now?” Wonwoo asked. It was a tradition they had, to watch the sunset on some beach together on the last day of finals. It began in high school when Joshua was a sophomore upperclassmen mentor, and Wonwoo was his new freshman mentee. After an awkward handshake met an awkward fist bump, the two of them became best friends. The tradition had no real meaning when it began, but it stuck through both of their moves across the country to San Francisco, so it was important.

Joshua shook his head. “I wanted to come back to campus and ask my professor about my final grade, but she’s not available until later in the afternoon. Sunset is at 8:20 and that gap is far too great to not squeeze a nap in there. I think I’ll just wallow in anxiety until all of the final grades come out next week.” The thought of seeing his own teachers crossed Wonwoo’s mind, but it was likely more tedious than he had the attention for. He was good at ignoring unpleasantries until they hit him in the face, anyway. “Do you wanna get the crêpes in Japantown with the faces on them?”

“Is this just an excuse to visit that Japanese bookstore?”

“Yes. There’s a sale on the manga selection.”

Wonwoo stared at him for a moment, then turned back towards the parking garage. “As long as I can get a crêpe with a matcha ice cream bunny on it,” he said finally.

They reached Joshua’s 1998 Toyota Corolla and tossed their backpacks and jackets in the trunk, then Joshua got in the driver’s seat. It took Wonwoo a while to close the trunk and join him in the car, but when he did, his hands were empty and somehow, this bothered Joshua the most. “Canoodling with the enemy?”

Joshua couldn’t help but give Wonwoo a side-eyed glance. “Excuse me?” He pulled out of the garage and down the exit road from campus.

“I saw that San Jose State hoodie in your trunk.” Wonwoo spoke with the tone of a dad who was trying to act cool about catching his son smoking a joint the day before, but Joshua couldn’t tell if Wonwoo was joking or genuinely upset with him in this situation. “Who is it? The tall guy who picked up your sweater from where it fell during the basketball game. You know, the one you swooned over after he left?” He was looking out his window, tapping his fingers to an unknown melody. Joking.

Joshua grinned as he turned onto the boulevard that bordered campus. “Actually, it’s his best friend, his name is Seungcheol.”

Wonwoo whistled. “I already get his name? This is special.”

Joshua laughed. He couldn’t agree more.

—

“I’m just saying, a destined connection through a single shared item? Link and Zelda are soulmates.” Joshua shrugged his shoulders as they ascended in the elevator. The thirty minute drive from the university parking garage was filled with typical video games discussions, before reaching its conclusion in a much smaller parking garage on the other side of the city.

Wonwoo scrunched his nose distastefully. “While I agree with your point, I’d rather you not say the word.”

“Soulmates? Why not?” The parking garage put them on the other side of the Japanese cluster of shops and restaurants, and they’d need to pass through the Peace Plaza and through a small tunnel beneath Webster Street to get the bookstore.

“Soulmates just feels so... heavy. It carries so much weight with its meaning.” Wonwoo opened the door of the Peace Plaza, and they squinted at the sunlight reflecting off the bright concrete. “Link and Zelda's relationship isn't worth the title of soulmates.”

Joshua nodded. “I can see that.”

The Peace Pagoda stood proudly to their left, and already had a young couple posing beside it. Or, trying to pose. The couple was arguing, with the smaller girl clapping her hands audibly to emphasize her inaudible points. Opposite to her was another girl, her arms crossed. “I’m sure there are good points to the red string of fate—see that sounds way less intense—but it still causes problems like this.”

This raised Joshua’s attention. He stopped and looked at Wonwoo in surprise. “Arguing couples?”

"Arguing couples, or people with real glaring problems, they can’t just break up and part ways forever. They’re,” Wonwoo used air quotes, “soulmates.” He gestured slightly to the couple at war besides the Peace Pagoda. “They’re so young—Josh, they’re just kids!—but because the gods said they were meant to be, they can’t just leave each other and move on. There’s no easy exit.” Wonwoo shook his head, gaining momentum in his critic. “What if I meet my soulmate tomorrow? I think I’d run away before I could do anything else.” He scoffed. “It’s absurd to think anyone our age could be ready for a commitment like that.”

They passed through the Peace Plaza, walking faster as the young couple’s argument grew more heated, and entered the bigger expanse of stores. The crêpe shop was further into the complex, and there was an anime store just a bit closer. Wonwoo took in a deep breath, his heart lighter after his impromptu monologue. “Did you want to go to crêpe bar first? Because I think I know the guy working the counter at the anime shop, and he could give us a discount.”

Wonwoo stopped walking, and nudged Joshua’s elbow. He had been silent since they left the Plaza.

Joshua stopped but when he looked up, Wonwoo wasn’t prepared for the harsh grimace of his mouth, or the cutting edge to his eyes. That didn’t account for the anger in his gaze, the fury that colored his cheeks red. He scoffed, an echo of Wonwoo’s earlier action but so much more spiteful. Resentful. “What’s really absurd is how immature I forgot you could be.”

“I-I’m sorry?” Joshua was never one to wield his anger like a weapon, but now he held it like a sword and it was pointed straight at Wonwoo.

Joshua shook his head. “You can be so oblivious to what’s happening around you, so wrapped up in your own problems that you forget about everything else. And they’re your problems! You have a right to be focused on them! But for once, can’t you pick up on something? Understand anything I try to tell you?” He took his own step backwards, and now looked at Wonwoo with a measure of disdain.

“Tell me now.” Wonwoo wanted to take that full step forwards, towards Joshua, but his legs wouldn’t move.

“You said it earlier: Seungcheol was special. And you were right. He’s my soulmate.” Wonwoo felt his stomach drop, and when he looked at Joshua, he was smiling. It was small, and it was pained. “So thank you, for telling me how you felt about it before I even told you. It sure saved me a lot of time.” Even enraged, he was ever so polite.

Joshua turned around and walked straight back outside. “Have fun at your goddamned sunset.” The automatic doors closed behind him.

—

A young couple scurried out of the shopping complex a few minutes after Joshua did, and Wonwoo figured he should probably move out of the doorway. But where to go? He saw the anime shop, and made a decision.

If his ability to ignore the terrible things in life could activate right about now, that would be great, but it was probably already working overtime to mask the dread from that history final. The anime shop was empty when Wonwoo entered, even the checkout counter was deserted. He ducked down one aisle and his eyes glazed over as he attempted to look at the titles. At some point the cashier came back and greeted him, but Wonwoo didn’t bother to look up. Reading the synopsis of this slice of life anime was far more interesting.

He reached the aisles of live action Japanese dramas, then the live action Korean dramas, before hitting a wall. The only way to go forward was into a small alcove, set apart by a metal gate, painted black with something intimidating written onto it.

“ADULTS ONLY. 18+ ONLY.” the thin paper sign taped to the gate announced. “No minors! (PLEASE!)” was written in smaller font below. Wonwoo wasn’t into hentai, but he wasn’t into severely hurting his close friends either. Today was a day for trying new things. He ducked into the cage.

The shelves were a disorganized mess, and already the hairs on the back of his neck were rising. He didn’t wanna think about who would actually buy a physical copy of this genre, about what kind of people had the guts to hand the cashier the DVD case with the clear intent to purchase. Were they braver than him? Probably. Wonwoo plucked a random case off the shelves, and tried to walk calmly out of the cage.

The television that hung across from the register and above the store’s announcements was playing _Ponyo_ , and the cashier—who Wonwoo, thankfully, did not know—was engrossed. Wonwoo began to feel the embarrassment, but he was already at the counter, so the most he could do was be a prick. If he was a prick, the cashier would hate him and forget about him. Not like he didn’t have the experience.

Wonwoo sniffed and rubbed his nose, then looked away as he tossed the cursed case onto the counter. Unfortunately, the counter was just a glass case that housed the small trinkets that the store sold, so the case clattered loudly on the hollow surface. It made the both of them jump, and Wonwoo winced.

“Hi! Did you get everything you wanted?” The cashier was cheerful, and his voice had a nice lilt to it that made him seem kinder. Wonwoo continued his very important staredown with the floor, and sniffed a little louder than he did before as a response.

“Okay... Oh! I love this title. The beginning is my favorite part; the relationship starts off so sweet.” Wonwoo looked at him in shock, and the cashier laughed a bit. He was young, with ruffled black hair and a smile that lit up a room. Maybe the people who bought physical copies of hentai were encouraged by this cashier’s disarming demeanor.

“What?”

“ _Aiki Ito_... it’s a good movie. Was it what you wanted?” Abandoning his persona, Wonwoo inspected the movie’s case. Rather than featuring a lewd protagonist in a vulnerable pose like he was expecting, the cover depicted a pair of wistful teenagers, with a red line cutting across the composition diagonally.

“Yeah... yeah. Sorry.” What he was apologizing for, Wonwoo wasn’t sure. There were too many to count. “How much?”

“Seven bucks,” the cashier replied, relieved that Wonwoo had moved past his surliness. “The title translates literally as ‘Red String’. It’s a cheesy romance, but isn’t that what we need sometimes?” He gave Wonwoo another grin, and he wondered when the universe would stop fucking with him.

“Actually, I don’t want this. I’ll put it back—” Wonwoo rushed to grab the case just as the cashier did, and their hands touched. Almost immediately, he yelped like something had shocked him. The case hit the glass case with another clatter, but Wonwoo hardly took notice. The feeling made its way up his arms and through his body like a rolling current of electricity. His senses felt reenergized, like he had taken his very first sip of coffee, and it was the most perfect cup anyone had ever brewed.

“That wasn’t just me, right?” Wonwoo looked away from his hands and to the cashier, who was staring at him with wide eyes. He nodded with the smallest of movements.

The cashier mimicked the gesture, as if reaffirming it for himself. He looked into Wonwoo’s eyes, and let a nervous, but genuine smile grace his features.

“Hi, I’m Soonyoung.”

—

Soonyoung stayed behind in the store to call for someone to replace him, and Wonwoo sat at the crêpe bar, moving the melting head of a matcha ice cream bunny around the paper plate. The crêpe itself had long since been eaten. He wasn’t running away, which he felt was an accomplishment. See, Joshua? He was giving this soulmate thing a chance! Something told him that this wasn’t what Joshua wanted from him.

Wonwoo was pulled from his thoughts by the screech of the chair across from him.

“Sorry, I didn’t think it’d be that loud,” Soonyoung said as he sat down. It turned out the nice lilt in his voice was simply a part of his customer service act, but without the lilt he still had a captivating tone. Not that Wonwoo noticed, or cared.

“Don’t worry about it,” Wonwoo replied. A silence fell over them, as he continued to play with his food and Soonyoung waited for him to finish.

“Do you want to... tell me why you were upset that you weren’t buying hentai?” Soonyoung attempted.

“Not really.” His answers were short and simple, he was being insufferable but he couldn’t help it.

Soonyoung huffed. “Alright, how about you tell me why you’re disappointed in me, instead. Or why you don’t like me. It’s better that we don’t avoid glaring problems in this relationship.” When Wonwoo looked up in alarm, he was leaning against the plastic chair, looking put out.

“I’m not disappointed in you,” was all he could say. Soonyoung raised an eyebrow.

“So you just don’t like me? I’m glad we sorted that out.” He stood up, and looked back in the direction of the anime shop. “We can leave each other here, then, and I could go to Seokmin to go home. It was nice to meet you—”

“—I don’t hate you either!” Soonyoung stopped moving, looking down at Wonwoo patiently. He took in a huge breath. “It’s not you, okay, it’s me—”

“A classic excuse.”

“No!” How had Wonwoo messed this up already? The had only just met, and already they were fighting. “It’s just that I have these issues with intimacy and commitment, and it’s not your fault that I’m terrified of being bound to you eternally and that we can’t just break up and move on, we’re soulmates and— and—” Wonwoo stopped speaking. Soonyoung’s shoulders were shaking, and he was staring with a strange kind of grin. He was laughing. “You’re just fucking with me.”

Soonyoung gave him a wide toothy smile as he sat back down, his eyes mischievous. “But now you’re talking, right?”

Despite himself, Wonwoo laughed. He laughed loudly and without reservation. He snorted in ugly sorts of ways and gasped for breath far too much and at some point, it felt like he was just screaming, but when he was done it left him feeling lighter and looser than he had all day. For the first time, it didn’t feel like he was missing the point or like his head was lost in the clouds. He felt grounded.

“Issues with intimacy and commitment, that’s what you said?” Wonwoo nodded and Soonyoung continued, almost nodding to himself too. “I get that, I’m like that too. To me, privacy is a big thing, and this soulmate thing is very...”

“Soulbearing?” Wonwoo supplied.

Soonyoung grinned. “I don’t know whether that counts as wordplay, or if I’m just a sucker for alliteration, but I’ll take it.” Where he took it, Wonwoo did not know. He was quiet for another moment as he put his thoughts together. “No one ever said that we had to be close and intimate on the first day. Or ever.”

He looked at Wonwoo, an eagerness to his voice now. “We met forty five minutes ago, in my uncle’s anime rental store on a Wednesday afternoon. I don’t think the gods set a rulebook when they threaded that red string between us.” He froze in his pose, his hands outstretched and gesturing to something big and grand, and looked at Wonwoo. “You get me?”

“Not yet,” he replied truthfully.

“Me neither. I’ll keep talking ‘til I figure it out.” Soonyoung looked back at his hands, trying to find his place again. “What I mean is that there was never any ceremony for soulmates to adhere to. No guideline to follow. He snapped his fingers. “No giant book of ‘Da Rulez’, no giant fairy to put us in Fairy Jail if we mess up!”

“Soonyoung, get to the point!” Wonwoo was grinning, and Soonyoung burst into a quick bout of laughter.

“My point is that, us being soulmates happened because the gods decided that we were good for each other, but that’s it. Maybe along the way you;ll fall for my devilish good looks and charming personality, but if we don’t work out, that’s okay. The world doesn’t fall apart because we decide we part ways.” Soonyoung was calm as he changed Wonwoo’s whole world view. Truth be told, the suggestion took a lot of weight off of his shoulders, but that weight only shifted to settle firmly on his chest, the Joshua-shaped hole in his heart aching even more than before.

The drop in his expression must’ve been drastic because Soonyoung half rose out of his chair, alarmed. He raised an arm like he wanted to touch Wonwoo’s hand, then stopped. “I like your plan, very, very much,” Wonwoo rushed to say, but Soonyoung didn’t sit down, his eyes still searching Wonwoo’s face. “And it was really beautiful how you figured out a compromise between our two personalities, but it just made feel a whole lot worse about how I used to think about soulmates.” He sighed, and ran a hand through his dark hair. “Today, I told my best friend that I didn’t think people our age could handle the implications of soulmates.”

Soonyoung sat back down, but his eyebrows knitted together in confusion and concern. “What happened after that?” It was interesting how his voice changed as he went through emotions. In his excitement he spoke quickly, but in his unease it deepened, going slower as he waited for Wonwoo.

“After I said that, he told me that he had found his soulmate, then walked away and took my backpack with him.” Wonwoo said, a self deprecating smile on his lips.

“He stole your backpack?!”

“What? No, it was in the trunk of his car and he drove off with it because he was upset with me.”

Soonyoung sighed in relief. “Oh thank the gods, I thought you’d have to beg your best friend for his forgiveness, _and_ your backpack. I wasn’t sure how well that would've played out.” He rubbed at his chest as if it had given him physical pains to think about it.

—

All Soonyoung had done since the moment they had met was be kind and clever and helpful. Wonwoo was half sure that he was just a figment of his imagination that had manifested to help him make things right with Joshua, but, for the moment, he couldn't care less.

Besides, if things had gone his way, he’d be walking back home with a DVD of hentai, not towards the beach to apologize to his best friend.

“So are you going to tell me what you were doing in my store now?” The pair of them left Japantown—kicked out by the crêpe bar employees, really—and turned west on Geary Street, straight towards the Pacific. The nice thing about San Francisco was that no matter where you were, the coast was but an hour’s walk away at most.

“I thought it was your uncle’s store?”

Soonyoung gave him a dismissive wave. “Same difference. Why were you buying hentai?”

Wonwoo blushed immediately, the embarrassment coming back full force “I was feeling... reckless.” He began to walk faster, away from Soonyoung’s judgement. The sound of his boisterous laughter behind him was quite nice though, and Wonwoo tried not to think of what that meant.

He looked back as the sounds of Soonyoung’s sneakers hitting the sidewalk quickly approached. “Reckless?” He was trying to appear kind and innocently curious, but Wonwoo could see the forced effort he was putting into his cheeks.

“Do you know of many people who buy their hentai in person?” This quieted Soonyoung as he pondered the question, before he conceded.

“It’s a pretty reckless move; what if it was someone you knew?” he concurred. “You must be quite the bad boy.” Soonyoung looked at Wonwoo with raised eyebrows, goading him to respond in kind.

“I am,” Wonwoo nodded. “I wear a leather jacket, but it’s currently with my not stolen backpack in the trunk of my best friend’s car.” He also liked to steal pencils off the floor and take two free breakfast items instead of the single item offered, but he didn’t think scaring off his new friend was the best idea.

Soonyoung hummed, and they felt silent. It was a comfortable silence, and it let Wonwoo’s mind drift away from the situation at hand.

New friend? Was Soonyoung just a new friend? Wonwoo snuck a glance at him, and he was glad that Soonyoung’s attention was somewhere beyond them. Sure, the gods didn’t decide how they labeled their relationship, but it wasn’t as if they were reckless in their choices.

“What are you thinking about?” Soonyoung was facing him, walking backwards down the sidewalk. “Also, please watch out for me.” He demonstrated his inability to look out for himself with a sheepish grin.

“I’m thinking about how we’re perfect for each other.” Wonwoo watched as Soonyoung’s cheeks went pink, and silently admitted that it sounded a lot better when he said it in his head. “I don’t make friends easily, and yet, I’ve already told you some of my deepest secrets.” 

“If it makes you feel better, I feel the same way.” Soonyoung gave up and turned back around, hanging back just long enough so that they were walking in tandem again. “And I’m willing to bet that your best friend was feeling that too.

“This soulmate thing isn’t a perfect system, but it’s been working just fine for a pretty long time. A pair of soulmates could argue without end, but at the end of the day, there isn’t a doubt that they’re better together than apart.”

He thought back to the fighting couple in the Plaza. They fought and held nothing back, and he had thought it was because they just weren’t right for each other. But it wasn’t that. They argued, but it was communication without restraint; sometimes talking things through wasn’t all calm and collected thoughts. There was no hiding behind masks or tip toeing around each other, just honesty and trust.

Wonwoo exhaled, feeling that heavy weight finally lift off of him. When he looked back at Soonyoung, he felt safe.

—

The hour long walk took an extra fifteen minutes (they stopped beneath the balcony of one the apartment buildings, where a samoyed dog stared at them until they forced themselves to keep walking), and by the time they reach the sea cliff, sunset wasn't far away.

The Sutro Bath Ruins sat at the base of a tall cliff facing the Pacific Ocean. They were the remnants of what was once the world’s largest indoor swimming pool, created by a rich San Franciscan mayor at the turn of the 20th century. It was destroyed 70 years later by an unknown arsonist, and what remained were the concrete foundations of the massive pool.

Joshua liked to call it, “The Fall of Rome, a Tragedy Revisited.” From their vantage point at the farthest back point of the beach, Wonwoo could see that they were mostly alone, save for a single figure that stood dangerously close the edge of the water’s reach. The sun was wavering towards the horizon, as if waiting for Wonwoo to join Joshua before it disappeared for the day.

“Is that him?” Soonyoung asked through chattering teeth, hiding behind Wonwoo’s form. This did nothing as the wind was coming in from all angles due to their proximity to the shore, but that didn’t deter Soonyoung from pulling his arms into his tee shirt for that extra bit of warmth. Wonwoo nodded. “Please go and talk to him before I freeze to death.” Wonwoo nodded again, a hint of a smile on his face.

There was an old four foot concrete wall that served to terrace off the levels of the beach. Leaning against it, Wonwoo saw a solidly built man  that he had missed when they were farther back. He was wearing a San Jose hoodie, and his eyes were glued to Joshua’s form in the distance.

Seungcheol looked him up and down as they approached. “You must be Wonwoo.”

“How’d you know it was me?” As far as Wonwoo knew, this was their first meeting. Soonyoung stood besides him and tried to quiet his chattering teeth, with little success.

“My mind saw you in Joshua’s thoughts.” Seungcheol tilted his head. “He told you about the mind connection between soulmates, right?”

“What?” Wonwoo was almost positive that he and Soonyoung had said it at the same time. Seungcheol looked at them silently, then smiled brilliantly.

“Nah, I’m just kidding! Joshua told me about you when he came by earlier.” Wonwoo winced visibly, and Seungcheol nodded sympathetically. “You should really go talk to him. Also,” he pulled out two jackets, one cotton and the other leather. “Can you give him this hoodie? He walked over there without it and he’s too prideful to come back and take it from me.”

Soonyoung moved quicker than Wonwoo, fumbling to pull his arms back into their proper sleeves and grab both the jackets from Seungcheol. He tossed the cotton hoodie to Wonwoo, then let out a moan as he pulled on Wonwoo’s leather jacket, a proper shield against the strong ocean breeze. “I’m so glad you’re a reckless bad boy,” he said without a thought. His eyes closed in bliss as he disappeared into the jacket. He was not as broad or long limbed as the jacket’s owner, and when he opened his eyes all Wonwoo could see were his eyes.

Wonwoo felt his whole face heat up as he watched Seungcheol’s open mouth expression. “Seungcheol, this is my soulmate, Soonyoung.”

Seungcheol nodded slowly, then looked back towards the ocean. “You should go see him; sunset is in fifteen minutes.” He and Soonyoung waved as Wonwoo set off for the water.

The wind fought against Wonwoo as he walked forward, like the forces of the universe were making one last attempt to stop him. He felt like he was moving too slowly, the distance between him and Joshua seemed immeasurable.

“Do you want me to walk with you?” Soonyoung was standing besides him and Wonwoo finally realized he was standing still. He looked at Joshua’s form again, then shook his head. He looked down, and slipped his hand in Soonyoung’s own. He felt grounded again, and the distance didn’t feel so immense.

When he looked at Soonyoung again, he noticed that the tips of his ears were red as he stared at their joined hands. “I’ll be okay,” Wonwoo said, an assurance to both Soonyoung and himself. He’d be okay, and Joshua would too. He just had to get to him.

They dropped their hands, and Wonwoo kept walking alone. It was easier now, and it felt like no time had passed before he was just behind Joshua. He was sitting with his knees pulled to his chest, and he looked up when Wonwoo sat besides him.

The sun was starting to set, the clouds miraculously giving way to the star’s brilliance. The world was colored like a fire, and in the waning light, Joshua’s eyes were set ablaze.

Wonwoo spoke first, his eyes on the horizon. “I’m sorry that I’m an inconsiderate prick, that I didn’t think twice before hurting his best friend. I’m an idiot for assuming that you couldn’t handle this, or that I wouldn’t be able to either. I fucked up.” He looked at Joshua, who was already looking back at him.

“Thank you, for acknowledging that you fucked up.” Joshua smiled. “And I’m sorry too. I blew up because you hurt me, but you didn’t even know that you did until I was yelling at you. All I heard was you calling me stupid, and then I stopped thinking too.” They stared at each other a while longer, reaching an unsaid understanding.

When he looked back to the sunset, Wonwoo followed suit. Everything was silent as the world worked its magic around them. The sun became a semicircle of light, and for a shining moment the Pacific Ocean was a sea of flames. All too quickly it was over, the sun swallowed up by the blue water, leaving behind a gently orange sky.

“The sunset always feels like it goes by too quickly,” Joshua murmured. “Why do we do this every year?”

“It reminds us of home.” Wonwoo said simply. “Plus, it’s way easier to organize than a bonfire.” Joshua rolled his eyes, but the smile he gave Wonwoo was full of affection. “Are we okay?”

“I’ll tell you after you buy us pho. I’m freezing.” That’s when Wonwoo remembered the cotton hoodie he had bundled against his chest. He hastily gave it to Joshua, and he looked at Wonwoo murderously. “There you go again! Speaking first and thinking of me second.” He shook his head in exasperation as Wonwoo held his chest as if stabbed.

“It would’ve ruined the moment!”

They laughed together as they stood up, Joshua zipping up his hoodie then helping Wonwoo off of the sand. They began to walk back towards Seungcheol and Soonyoung, who were nothing more than small shapes in the distance.

“Oh! After you left me, I went to the anime store to buy some hentai, but then I met my soulmate instead. That’s Soonyoung over there.” Wonwoo waved, and one of the small figures ahead of them waved back.

Joshua nodded, not at all fazed. “I knew that already. Soonyoung seems very nice.” Wonwoo looked at him in surprise, and he tapped his temple with a knowing smirk. “Seungcheol wasn’t kidding about the mind connection. It should show up for the two of you in a few days.”

“Wait, really?!” Joshua didn’t respond immediately, and Wonwoo felt his heart speed up. He wasn’t sure how it made it feel, but the thought of having that connection with Soonyoung didn’t terrify him as much as he thought it would; in fact, he was actually quite happy—

Joshua was laughing at him. “I'm just kidding! Seungcheol texted me while you were walking to me. You guys are adorable.” 

Wonwoo's indignant shouting was lost in the sounds of Joshua's bright laughter.

**Author's Note:**

> a big thank you to cat and amber and annie, to cat for being endlessly wonderful and generous and loving, and to amber and annie for being the best betas i could've asked for ♡ also big thank you to soonwoonet!! i love our garden of beautiful flowers and beans and chickens and eggs, and our loveliest admin team for putting us all together ♡


End file.
